We are starting a series of posts on the Belgic Confession. The Belgic Confession is one of the historic confessions of the Reformed Church in America along with the Heidelberg Catechism and the Canons of Dort. While the Belgic Confession is more than 400 years old it still has great value to all the Reformed Churches, including our congregation here in Edgerton.The Belgic Confession was put together by Guido de Bres. He was a pastor in the Reformed church in the Netherlands. Born in 1522, de Bres was born five years after the Protestant Reformation was started by Martin Luther on October 31, 1517. De Bres studied under John Calvin in Geneva. The Belgic Confession was intended to show the Spanish Government that the Reformed were not a radical Anabaptist sect but instead looking to reform the church. De Bres was eventually arrested for his beliefs and was tried before the Spanish Inquisition. He died a martyrs death on May 31, 1567.Usually people consider something with a name like a confession to be long and boring but you can easily read the Belgic Confession in a relatively short amount of time. The confession breaks down the beliefs of the Christian faith into 37 different "Articles" that starts with topics such as who God is and ends with the Last Judgment. Along the way it has a lot to say regarding scripture, the Trinity, and other important Christian doctrines.Over the course of several months we will delve into each article and look at what it teaches and how it applies to our lives today.